Wondering How Long It Could Take To Get Rid Of Hookworms

[Guest AngelPup]

Hi all. We've been treating Brady for hookworms since a few days after we adopted him (May 10) and he is still having symptoms (mainly pudding poo and occasionally grass eating followed by vomiting).

 

Brady just finished his third, three-day round of Panacur on Saturday and his poops don't look any better, although he is going less often. We are going to do another three day round starting three weeks later (July 4).

 

He's also been on Flagyl twice. The first time (about a week after adopting him), his poop was perfect the next day after starting a 7 day treatment, but then got worse over time (although the terrible stench didn't come back). This is when his stool came back positive for hooks. The second time he was given 14 days of Flagyl (with some improvement, but not much), which he just finished yesterday. Considering he just finished anti-biotics and has a bad case of hooks, I'm going to start giving him Forti-Flora tonight to see if that helps.

 

I'm just wondering how long it's going to take to get rid of these things! And when should I start worrying that this treatment plan isn't working. If you're dog has had hookworms, how long did it take for you to get rid of them?! What was your treatment plan?

[greyhead]

We have a lot of hookworm experience. You may never be rid of them completely. You can research them in the GT archives, Google, or your vet to understand why.

 

We also have experience with SIBO here (small intestine bacterial overgrowth), and what you're describing -- I looked briefly at your prior threads too -- sounds like it could be that. If Flagyl was only given briefly, it might not have been long enough. You might want to do a culture and sensitivity on the poop to identify which germ has overgrown and which antibiotics will kill it back. The fact that he improved on Flagyl at all may be a clue. But if it's SIBO you may need treatment measured in weeks, not days.

[Batmom]

Can take quite awhile but usually dog is much better after 2-4 rounds of worming at the proper intervals. What are you feeding, and how much?

[Guest RMarie]

I have nothing to offer regarding worms, but wanted to throw out the idea that Flagyl may not work well for your pup. It doesn't work for mine. We use sulfasalazine to calm gut inflammation.

 

Hang in there. We've all battled poo problems. You're in good company.

[Guest AngelPup]

We have a lot of hookworm experience. You may never be rid of them completely. You can research them in the GT archives, Google, or your vet to understand why.

 

We also have experience with SIBO here (small intestine bacterial overgrowth), and what you're describing -- I looked briefly at your prior threads too -- sounds like it could be that. If Flagyl was only given briefly, it might not have been long enough. You might want to do a culture and sensitivity on the poop to identify which germ has overgrown and which antibiotics will kill it back. The fact that he improved on Flagyl at all may be a clue. But if it's SIBO you may need treatment measured in weeks, not days.

 

Well, THAT's not what I wanted to hear, but was afraid of! I have researched them, but was hoping that the 'never getting rid of them' would be EXTREMELY rare. So, in that case, do you just keep worming them continuously... the rest of their lives?! I'm quickly going broke due to vet bills, so hopefully we will be able to get rid of these suckers as quickly as possible!!

 

As far as the Flagyl goes... I didn't think it was good to take antibiotics for more than 10 days. Although the vet was ready to give me more. Maybe I'll wait a few more days to see if anything improves with the Forti-Flora and if not, I'll give the vet another call to discuss our options. It can't be good to have chronic diarrhea!

[Guest AngelPup]

Can take quite awhile but usually dog is much better after 2-4 rounds of worming at the proper intervals. What are you feeding, and how much?

 

We are VERY slowly switching from Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice to 4Health Salmon and Potato. The vet thought he might have a food allergy since he got a yeast infection in his ears. I hope it's not the food switch that is exacerbating things.....

I have nothing to offer regarding worms, but wanted to throw out the idea that Flagyl may not work well for your pup. It doesn't work for mine. We use sulfasalazine to calm gut inflammation.

 

Hang in there. We've all battled poo problems. You're in good company.

 

 

Thanks for the tips. I'm just SO very frustrated! I feel as though we're not making any progress at all....

[greyhead]

Our worst-infested hookworm grey wasn't diagnosed for 9 months after he arrived, because he got two false-negative fecals during that time. That gave the worms plenty of time to migrate around and establish themselves. We treated initially with Panacur, but vets in WA State hadn't seen much hookworm at that time, and they didn't treat aggressively enough, despite the third fecal showing that he was "loaded" with hookworm. After we brought them mostly under control, it was mostly handled with monthly doses of Interceptor, which we would have given anyway. Now they're not making that, and this dog didn't do well on Trifexis (due to his GI problems). He passed away in March, and I refuse to use Trifexis on our remaining grey, who also has what I call perma-hooks. Not sure how we're going to handle it in the future.

 

Salmon is a rich food, actually, so that may not be the best thing for your dog at this time.

 

Don't let it get out of hand if it's an infection, or it will get *really* expensive and harmful to the dog. (In other words, do as I say, not as I did!) Things like Forti-Flora are all well and good, but they can only do so much. By the time a poop culture revealed a very advanced Clostridium overgrowth, it took three antibiotics, given serially over a two-month period, to conquer it. Then he was left with IBD. General rules, such as those about duration of antibiotics, are fine as guidelines; but you have to treat a particular problem in a particular animal, so keep an open mind.

[Batmom]

I wouldn't switch food slowly. In my experience, it doesn't help in any way, and it'll drive you nuts. Switch immediately or over 3 days max. Give it 48 hours after you're 100% on the new food. Better? Keep going. Same or worse? Move on to something else.

 

Looking at the 4health food, it could be your dog needs either more fiber or a different type. If you haven't tried something like IAMS with beet pulp, that'd be where I'd go next.

[tbhounds]

What leads you to believe he still carries a worm burden??? Did you just check his stool again??

[greysmom]

Hooks exist in the environment so once you have them, you pretty much always have them. Monthly worming products are needed once you have the infestation cleared. As others have said, they can be stubborn and sneaky, and if you don't catch them at the right time in their cycle, they don't necessarily show up in a fecal exam.

 

I'm thinking that three days is not a long enough dosage time for the AB's. It seems to me I have dosed for at least 10 days at a time, but I could be wrong. And some people have had to do several course of AB's to clear their dogs finally. At this point, probiotics can't hurt, but I would also ask to see if a check for SIBA is in order.

 

Your dog also may be having some more serious issues such as IBD going on. Things like this can really only be definitely diagnosed by doing a endoscopic exam and biopsy. Also, if he's still having diarrhea, slowly switching won't make any difference. You might as well just switch the food. If it's going to help, it will help right away. If it's not going to help, nothing will change.

 

Have you actually tried fasting him for a day or two and then reintroducing a bland diet? This will help his gut calm down before he begins eating again.

[Guest AngelPup]

Our worst-infested hookworm grey wasn't diagnosed for 9 months after he arrived, because he got two false-negative fecals during that time. That gave the worms plenty of time to migrate around and establish themselves. We treated initially with Panacur, but vets in WA State hadn't seen much hookworm at that time, and they didn't treat aggressively enough, despite the third fecal showing that he was "loaded" with hookworm. After we brought them mostly under control, it was mostly handled with monthly doses of Interceptor, which we would have given anyway. Now they're not making that, and this dog didn't do well on Trifexis (due to his GI problems). He passed away in March, and I refuse to use Trifexis on our remaining grey, who also has what I call perma-hooks. Not sure how we're going to handle it in the future.

 

Salmon is a rich food, actually, so that may not be the best thing for your dog at this time.

 

Don't let it get out of hand if it's an infection, or it will get *really* expensive and harmful to the dog. (In other words, do as I say, not as I did!) Things like Forti-Flora are all well and good, but they can only do so much. By the time a poop culture revealed a very advanced Clostridium overgrowth, it took three antibiotics, given serially over a two-month period, to conquer it. Then he was left with IBD. General rules, such as those about duration of antibiotics, are fine as guidelines; but you have to treat a particular problem in a particular animal, so keep an open mind.

 

Well, I'm definitely going to call the vet and discuss this further. I'm frustrated that I'm not seeing an improvement after this last dose of Panacur. Thank you very much for sharing your experience and suggestions! I definitely don't want to let this get too out of hand.

I wouldn't switch food slowly. In my experience, it doesn't help in any way, and it'll drive you nuts. Switch immediately or over 3 days max. Give it 48 hours after you're 100% on the new food. Better? Keep going. Same or worse? Move on to something else.

 

Looking at the 4health food, it could be your dog needs either more fiber or a different type. If you haven't tried something like IAMS with beet pulp, that'd be where I'd go next.

 

Thanks--switching slowly IS driving me nuts, but I didn't want to make his gut even more upset. I'll speed things up a bit and see how it goes for a few days after.

[Guest AngelPup]

What leads you to believe he still carries a worm burden??? Did you just check his stool again??

 

No, but each time we treated him, his stools would improve a bit and then after a few days would start to become pudding poop again. It wasn't that long ago that we did a fecal and it came back positive. Plus, I already know it takes several rounds of Panacur (or any dewormer) to get rid of hookworms, so I felt like it would be a waste of money to do a fecal so soon after the first positive result (plus, I'm quickly running out of money!). In addition, just because a fecal test comes back negative doesn't mean he doesn't have hookworms. His first fecal exam was negative.

 

I definitely plan on checking his stool again after the next round of Panacur...and then again a few weeks later.

[RaineysMom]

try a round of Drontal Plus as a dewormer. Also, on the advice of many folks here, I switched Zeke from Canidae (the chicken-based one) to Iam's Lamb and Rice (now on Kirkland's L&R) and I don't know if it was the worms or the food (or both) but he's MUCH better now -- still kind of loose at the end of the day but not big D like he had for months. And he's put on 3 lbs (up to 73).

 

is he from Florida? The hooks down there are WAY worse than in the northern climates. And yeah, we had to do several fecal tests for both, at $25 a pop.

[Guest zombrie]

Doolin was extremely ill with hookworms for 8 months. It made him very sick and he lost 10 pounds. If I remember correctly every 2 weeks we gave him a round of Panacur. After about 8 months of Panacur every 2 weeks, we treated him every month. After that his monthly heart worm preventative seemed to do the trick.
As for the Big D, a mixture of a cooked sweet potato and Honest Kitchen's Preference mixed into his food was a godsend. It wasn't until those 2 things added to his diet that the bloody diarrhea and bloody vomiting stopped.

 

Honestly, I think he totally got the hookworms out of his system after about a year and a half.
Good luck, hooks can be a nightmare.

Edited June 17, 2013 by zombrie

[tbhounds]

No, but each time we treated him, his stools would improve a bit and then after a few days would start to become pudding poop again. It wasn't that long ago that we did a fecal and it came back positive. Plus, I already know it takes several rounds of Panacur (or any dewormer) to get rid of hookworms, so I felt like it would be a waste of money to do a fecal so soon after the first positive result (plus, I'm quickly running out of money!). In addition, just because a fecal test comes back negative doesn't mean he doesn't have hookworms. His first fecal exam was negative.

 

I definitely plan on checking his stool again after the next round of Panacur...and then again a few weeks later.

 

I am well aware of de-worming protocols and the fact that there is never truly a "negative" fecal result, in fact at our clinic we never report stool analysis that way it's said no ova and parasites seen. I have to wonder if the food is the cause of the soft stool at this point. While I agree-your hound needs to be de-wormed again (personally, I have had better results using strongid t) your food may be the root of the problem here. I know your trying to stick it out by not changing foods at this time but, perhaps you should add some fiber to the food. You can use Metamucil or even by some canned W/D from your vet (super high in fiber).

[Guest AngelPup]

try a round of Drontal Plus as a dewormer. Also, on the advice of many folks here, I switched Zeke from Canidae (the chicken-based one) to Iam's Lamb and Rice (now on Kirkland's L&R) and I don't know if it was the worms or the food (or both) but he's MUCH better now -- still kind of loose at the end of the day but not big D like he had for months. And he's put on 3 lbs (up to 73).

 

is he from Florida? The hooks down there are WAY worse than in the northern climates. And yeah, we had to do several fecal tests for both, at $25 a pop.

 

I'm at the point now that I'm not sure what is causing all the loose stools.... I know hooks cause them, so it could just be that and the irritation they cause to the intestines. Only God knows how long he's been suffering with hookworms... so they could have done quite a bit of damage.

 

I guess it could also be the new food, but can't tell with all the other issues.... This will have to wait for the time being until we at least get the hookworm infestation in control.

 

Then, according to the vet, it could be an enzyme deficiency which causes SIBO. The deficiency panel (not sure what it's called) is very expensive, so this is a last resort. I'd rather do another round of Flagyl first to see if that helps.

 

And yes, he came from Florida... ~ : o

[Guest AngelPup]

Doolin was extremely ill with hookworms for 8 months. It made him very sick and he lost 10 pounds. If I remember correctly every 2 weeks we gave him a round of Panacur. After about 8 months of Panacur every 2 weeks, we treated him every month. After that his monthly heart worm preventative seemed to do the trick.

As for the Big D, a mixture of a cooked sweet potato and Honest Kitchen's Preference mixed into his food was a godsend. It wasn't until those 2 things added to his diet that the bloody diarrhea and bloody vomiting stopped.

 

Honestly, I think he totally got the hookworms out of his system after about a year and a half.

Good luck, hooks can be a nightmare.

 

WOW! That does sound like a nightmare! Brady doesn't seem sick with the exception of the constant soft serve and occasional upset stomach and actually gained a couple pounds over the past month, so it doesn't sound as though he has them as bad as Doolin did. Sheesh--poor Doolin.

 

I'm going to ask the vet about doing the Panacur treatment every 2 weeks instead of 3. Also, was it a three day round or five day?

 

I really hope it doesn't take that long to get rid of them....

Edited June 18, 2013 by AngelPup

[Batmom]

The only dog I've ever had here with hookworms didn't have notably loose stools at that time.

[Guest zombrie]

 

WOW! That does sound like a nightmare! Brady doesn't seem sick with the exception of the constant soft serve and occasional upset stomach and actually gained a couple pounds over the past month, so it doesn't sound as though he has them as bad as Doolin did. Sheesh--poor Doolin.

 

I'm going to ask the vet about doing the Panacur treatment every 2 weeks instead of 3. Also, was it a three day round or five day?

 

I really hope it doesn't take that long to get rid of them....

It was a 3 day round.

I probably would start looking at grain-free diets and see if that could be a cause for his problems. Minerva didn't have worms but she had loose stools for several months and once I tried her on the food she's on now, her stools are 100% normal. The foods I was trying for her were just too rich I think.

[Guest psdirector]

Hutch came to us in early March with hookworms. He had bloody stools and bloody vomit and was so sick. It took four rounds of Panacur to get two negative fecals a week apart. He was negative for giardia as well. Since he was still having pudding poos, we switched to Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato as the vet felt that giving him a protein source he had not had before might help and we were told to cut out all extras. Both dogs were getting yogurt on their breakfast every morning. As soon as we stopped the yogurt and switched the food, it was amazing - perfect poos, no more killer gas, no tummy upsets.

 

On another note, my dad accidentally gave his toy poodle some of the canned Natural Balance - she loved it and she went from being the world's pickiest dog to actually crying for her food and finishing every speck. Go figure.

[Guest zombrie]

Hutch came to us in early March with hookworms. He had bloody stools and bloody vomit and was so sick. It took four rounds of Panacur to get two negative fecals a week apart. He was negative for giardia as well. Since he was still having pudding poos, we switched to Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato as the vet felt that giving him a protein source he had not had before might help and we were told to cut out all extras. Both dogs were getting yogurt on their breakfast every morning. As soon as we stopped the yogurt and switched the food, it was amazing - perfect poos, no more killer gas, no tummy upsets.

 

On another note, my dad accidentally gave his toy poodle some of the canned Natural Balance - she loved it and she went from being the world's pickiest dog to actually crying for her food and finishing every speck. Go figure.

My dogs are on Natural Balance as well. It worked for their sensitive tummies. I give them the fish and potato formula.

[turbotaina]

Just a note re: Panacur: if you have to continue using it, you can get it in a suspension form for goats and it's much less expensive. Tractor Supply sells it. It's a bit tricky to work out the dosage conversion, but I managed to do it, with my vet's blessing

[Guest AngelPup]

Hi all. Thanks for all the great suggestions! I spoke with the vet's office yesterday and went over our options. They said that we are on the right track, but it can take some time to rid Brady of the hookworms.

 

Since I just started him on a new food this past week and began using Forti-Flora last night, I'm not going to make any further changes for another week or two. I just want to give things a chance to work first. If he doesn't improve by next week, I'll call the vet and ask about the sensitivity/bacteria culture to see if another, longer, round of antibiotics is in order. And if the fourth round of Panacur doesn't rid him of the hookworms, I'll discuss trying another dewormer (I already discussed Drontal Plus with her and she doesn't recommend using it) or ramping up the Panacur.

 

The vet suspects that Brady may have an enzyme deficiency which is causing an overgrowth of bacteria in his small intestine (because he's not absorbing the nutrients from the food as he should), but the test is $250 and we just don't have that right now--we're up to over $1,000 in vet bills already with more to come... ~ : o

Just a note re: Panacur: if you have to continue using it, you can get it in a suspension form for goats and it's much less expensive. Tractor Supply sells it. It's a bit tricky to work out the dosage conversion, but I managed to do it, with my vet's blessing

 

Thanks! I need to look for any way to save a few bucks here... I'll mention this to my vet if we need to ramp up the Panacur.